- Light
- Full to bright sun. A plant that has been under shade cloth needs two weeks to acclimate before it takes midsummer sun head-on.
- Water
- Water when the mix is dry and the plant is growing, roughly weekly in summer. In winter, once a month or less. Cold and wet together is what kills them.
- Soil
- Half pumice, half cactus mix, with a little extra bark for the leafy species. Fast drainage first, everything else second.
- Dormancy
- Winter rest for nearly all of them: growth stops, some drop leaves. Keep them dry and bright and they wake in spring.
- Hardiness
- Keep above 45°F for the Madagascan and tropical species; the South African bench tolerates the high 30s if bone-dry.
- Feeding
- Balanced fertilizer at quarter strength every third watering in the growing season. Nothing from October to March.
- Repotting
- Every two to three years in late spring. Gloves and eye protection; the white sap burns skin and worse.
- Watch for
- Corking (brown bark) on old stems is normal; soft brown at the soil line is rot. Mealybugs and spider mites like the growing tips. Yellowing from the bottom up is usually overwatering.